Brake-operating mechanism for vehicles.



` PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

J. E. PEAGGGK. i BRAKE OPERATING MEGEANISM EOE VEHICLES.

APPLIATION FILED JULY 2B. 1904.

iran STATES Patentecl May 2, 1905.

amarsi erica.

JOHN L. PEACOCK, OF BUFFALO, NEV YORK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,056, dated May 2, 1905.

Application filed July 28, 1904. Serial No. 218,585.

To nl?, whom, t may concer/1,:

Be it known that I, J oHN L. PEAcooK, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Brake-Operating Mechanism for Vehicles, of which the following, taken in connection with the accon'ipanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in brake-operating mechanism for vehicles, involving the use of a rotary drum and a cable or chain which is wound upon the drum and connected in any desired manner to operate the brake. (Not shown.)

My object is to construct and connect the winding-drum and its cable or chain in such manner that the slack is rapidly taken up and the brake applied with a gradually-increasing force with a minimum angular movement of the brake-handle. The advantage of this rapidity and force in the application of the brake is that the energy expended by the motorman is more evenly distributed from beginning to end of the brake-setting operation and enables him to bring the car to a full stop with comparatively little movement of the brakehandle.

.l am aware that an eccentric has been employed in connection with a chain, whereby a quick action in taking up the slack is attained; but in this case it is impossible to rotate the eccentric more than one revolution or even'a full revolution without carrying the cable upon the high point of the cam, which requires the application of a great deal more power to bring the brake into operative position at the time when the greatest power is most needed.

My invention is particularly distinguished from the prior art in its power-equalizing effect-that is, the power required to take up the slack is greater on account of the larger diameter and consequent greater speed of the part to which the winding-cable is connected; but in they continued rotation of the drum the 'movement gradually becomes less, and the power required to effect the final setting of the brakes is therefore very much less than it would be if the chain were wound upon the same diameter from start to linish.

Y In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved brake mechanism involving, essentially, a horizontal spiral drum, the brake-spindle, and the intermeshing gears for transmitting motion from the brake-spindle to the spiral drum. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the detached spiral brake looking from the smaller end, showing the brake-operating chain as operatively mounted on the drum. Fig. 3 is a top plan view ofthe parts seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4 4, Fig. 1.

The essential elements of my improved operating brake mechanism are mounted in a suitable frame l, which is usually located under the platform of the car adjacent to the lower end of the vertical brake-post and is provided with laterally-projecting ears or bosses 2, having suitable bolt-openings for receiving clamping-bolts on the under side of the car. The lower end of the brake-post, as 3, isjournaled in the base of the frame 1, and to this lower end is secured a beveled pinion 4, which meshes with a second beveled gear 5 on the spindle, as 6, which is also secured in the frame 1 and carries a tapering drum 7, having a spiral bearing-face. This drum being spiral and tapering may be divided into two parts, such as 8 and 9, the part 8 being of greater diameter', while the part 9 is considerably less in diameter, and the intervening space gradually reduces in diameter from the larger end of the part 8 to the smaller end of the part 9.

The chain 10 has one end secured at 11 to the part 8 farthest from the center or axis of rotation of the drum, and the other end is adapted to be connected to the brake mechanism. (Not shown.) This drum 7 and its supporting-spindle 6 are disposed in a hori- Zontal position, and when the drum is operated through the medium of the gears 4 and 5 to set the brakes the chain winds from the parts of the drum of greatest diameter onto the parts of the drum of least diameter, and therefore the initial movement of the brakehandle causes a considerable movement of the chain and rapidly takes up the slack, while the continued movement of the brake-handle causes the chain to wind upon the smaller por- IOO tion of the drum, and therefore a greater force is obtained with comparatively little power.

The supporting-frame 1 for the brake-operating mechanism is preferably made in the form of an inverted U, having its base uppermost and its open side at the bottom, in which the drum 7 is mounted and is carried upon the pin 6, which is supported in the opposite arms of the U.

The periphery of the drum 7 is formed with a spiral tapering chainway, which is defined by a spiral rib 12. In order to reduce the friction incidental to the rotation of the drum 7, I usually interpose antifriction-rollers 13 between the central bore of the drum and spindle or shaft 6, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 4.

The gear 5 is secured to and is preferably formed integral with the larger end of the drum 7 and is usually larger and of greater diameter than the gear 4 on the brake-post in order to gain as much power as practicable without necessitating' too much movement of the brake-post handle in setting the brakes.

It is well known that the movement necessary to free the brake-shoes from the wheels is comparatively small, and therefore the drum in my present application is arranged to take up this slack with a very slight movement of the brake-handle, and in practice the complete movement necessary to take up the slack and set the brake is about one-half revolution, and it is apparent under such conditions the motorman has the car under full control and can stop the same on short notice.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a brake-operating mechanism, the combination of a frame of inverted-U shape hav? wheel formed integral with said drum at the.

large end thereof, a vertically-disposed brakepost mounted in said frame and in vertical alinement with said horizontal shaft and over said drum, and a gear-wheel carried by said post and meshing with the gear-wheel on said drum.

2. In a brake-operating mechanism, the combination of a U-shaped frame adapted to be attached to the bottom of the platform of a car, the upper portion of said frame being formed with openings for the passage of bolts, a horizontal shaft rigidly secured in the depending arms of said frame, a tapering drum loosely mounted on said shaft and provided with a spiral chain way, a vertical brake-post mounted centrally of the U-shaped frame and in vertical alinement with the center of said horizontal shaft and over said drum, a gear-wheel carried by said post and a gearwheel carried by said drum, and meshing with the gearwheel carried by the post.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of May, 1904.

JOHN L. PEACOCK.

Witnesses:

HUGH J. MoDoNALD, GRIFFIN S. AcKLnY. 

